No longer confined to bhabhi, mother roles: Renuka Shahane on women in cinema

Actor Renuka Shahane said Dupahiya gave her room to break away from her familiar daughter-in-law image. She said stronger writing for women and humour-led storytelling are widening possibilities on screen.

In Short

• Renuka Shahane said women in cinema now get roles beyond mother and bhabhi.
• She returns as Pushpalata in Dupahiya Season 2
• She said the new season gives her character more shades and room for reinvention

Actor Renuka Shahane says women in cinema and streaming are no longer confined to bhabhi and mother roles, with female characters now being written with more depth and agency. As she returns as Pushpalata in the second season of Dupahiya, Shahane said the role allowed her to move away from the straightforward daughter-in-law image that audiences had long associated with her.

In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Shahane spoke about the growth of the characters in the new season, her own reinvention through the series, and why she believes Dupahiya uses humour to make social messaging travel further.

Speaking about how the characters have evolved in the new season, Shahane said, “Yeah, there’s growth in the character. All the characters retain their charm, but they also have other qualities and different shades this season.”

For Shahane, Dupahiya has also been an opportunity for reinvention. “Every actor needs reinvention, and reinvention can only happen when you are given those kinds of opportunities. I think Dupahiya has been a huge opportunity for me. It is my first web series, and now to have a second season, continue with the same character and add more shades to her has been very exciting,” she said.

She added, “As an actor, I have grown through this journey and learnt so much from all my co-actors. It has been great fun, not just off screen but even on screen, because you absorb the energy and vibes of the people you are working with.”

Comedy roles and writing for women

Shahane also said that although she has always enjoyed comedy, she was rarely offered such parts earlier because of the image attached to her. “I have always loved performing in comedies, but nobody was offering me those roles. I had a very straightforward daughter-in-law kind of image, so it is very rare that you get an opportunity like this. I am really grateful for it,” she said.

She also said the writing of female characters has undergone a significant shift, giving women performers greater room to experiment. “Otherwise, you would often end up playing someone’s mother or sister-in-law, and there were very few opportunities where you could really push yourself as an actor. You can play those parts easily, but when something completely different is expected of you — when the language you are using is alien to you and the environment is nothing like the one you have grown up in — it pushes you to do something new. I am so happy that I got the opportunity to play Pushpalata,” she added.

Humour and social messaging

Shahane also spoke about Dupahiya’s ability to combine social commentary with comedy, saying humour can sometimes help an important message travel more effectively. “I think social messaging with heart and humour is a very difficult thing to do, and that is an important way of putting your message across. At the same time, it becomes something that everybody can sit together, watch and then think about later,” she said.

She further explained why she believes humour can make serious conversations more accessible. “I do think that when humour is presented well, the message can reach people in a much deeper way. Sometimes, when you say something very seriously, people understand that as your reality. But when you present the same thing with light-heartedness or comedy, it reaches people better and is also accepted more easily,” Shahane said.

Dupahiya Season 2 began streaming on Amazon Prime Video from October 1. It stars Gajraj Rao, Renuka Shahane, Sparsh Shrivastava, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Bhuvan Arora, Yashpal Sharma, Anjuman Saxena and Dinesh Lal Yadav.

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